This report lays out a comprehensive poverty reduction plan for BC.
In 2009, after the report was published, the CCPA-BC, along with other organizations, founded the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a province-wide group calling for a poverty reduction plan for BC with legislated targets and timelines. The Coalition works to make sure that all BC political parties get the message that British Columbians want action on poverty, and that not only is this the right thing to do, it also is the most effective way to make this province better for everyone. For more information on the BC Poverty Reduction campaign and other ways to get involved, visit http://bcpovertyreduction.ca.
Attachments
The Time Is Now: A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC — SUMMARY
BC Poverty Poll Results: British Columbians Want Action
About the authors
Seth Klein is a CCPA-BC research associate and the former CCPA-BC Director. His research deals primarily with welfare policy, poverty, inequality and economic security. A social activist for over 30 years and a former teacher, Seth holds a BA in international relations, a BEd from the University of Toronto and an MA in political science from Simon Fraser University. Seth is an adjunct professor with Simon Fraser University’s Urban Studies program and the former BC director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. His book A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency is now available. Seth is also a past co-chair of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, an advisory board member for the Columbia Institute’s Centre for Civic Governance, and an advisor and instructor for Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice. Follow Seth on Twitter
Trish Garner is the provincial organizer for the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a broad-based network of over 400 organizations throughout BC. She is a tea-swilling Brit with a passion for social justice. As the BCPRC’s Community Organizer, Trish focuses on communications, outreach and community engagement to raise awareness about the root causes of poverty and inequality, and how we can collectively tackle them. Trish has a PhD in gender, sexuality and women’s studies from SFU and continues to work on LGBTQ issues. She lives with her partner and their three young children in East Vancouver.
Iglika Ivanova is a Senior Economist and the Public Interest Researcher at the CCPA’s BC Office. She researches and writes on key social and economic challenges facing BC and Canada, including poverty, economic insecurity and labour market shifts towards more precarious work. Iglika is Co-Director of the Understanding Precarity in BC Project (UP-BC). Iglika also investigates issues of government finance, tax policy and privatization and how they relate to the accessibility and quality of public services. She is particularly interested in the potential for public policy to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable economy. Follow Iglika on Twitter
Marc Lee is a Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Marc joined the CCPA’s British Columbia office in 1998, and is one of Canada’s leading progressive commentators on economic and environmental policy issues. From 2009 to 2015, Marc led the CCPA’s Climate Justice Project (CJP), which published a wide range of research on fair and effective approaches to climate action through integrating principles of social justice. Marc continues to write about climate and energy policy, strategies for affordable housing, federal and provincial budgets and macroeconomics. Marc has an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. Marc is a past chair of the Progressive Economics Forum, a national network of heterodox economists. He also served as a Visiting Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy in 2024 to 2025.
